I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin that was under the SAC B-52 low-level routes. It was a big thrill for a 10-year-old to look up and see a B-52 with a wingspan twice the length of our barn flying 50 feet over the top. I knew that was what I wanted to do when I grew up. Fast forward to 1967-1968, my senior year in high school. An aviation class was just getting started, and I immediately signed up. We had various speakers from the services, and I was disappointed to learn that the Navy and Air Force required a four-year degree to apply for flight school. I didn’t want to wait that long to start. Then I learned that the Army had a “High School to Flight School” program. The rest is history.

Richard Ready, Blashe-Peters-Tober American Legion Post 456